Filling-feeler mechanism for looms



March 13, 1928.l

J. NORTHROH FILLING FEELER MCHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 8. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented 1.3, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JONAS NORTHROP, F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 DRAZPER CORPORATION, OF HOPEDALE, `MASS.A(}HUSIE}'J."1S, A CORPORA- TION OF MAINE.

FILLlNG-FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

The present invention relates to an improvement in filling feeler mechanisms for looms. A

The object of the invention is to produce an improved filling feeler, and to this cnd the invention consists in the feeler hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention,

Figs. 1 and 2 are plans illustrating the filling feeler mechanism in `different positions;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the l1ne3-3,

Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side view of the latch lever as viewed on the line l--4, Fig. 2, and

the outer end of the weft replenishing actuator; and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of the feeler, Fig. 6 being a section taken on the line 6-'6, Fig. 5., and Fig. 7 being a section taken on the line 7 7,

Fig. 5.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is described as'follows: The loom to which this filling feeler mechanism is at tached may be of any usual or improvedv construction, the lay l0 supporting the shuttle 11" in the usual manner. The loom isv provided with weft replenishingv mechanism indicated in a general way by the reference character 12, applied to the change shaft. The loom has a weft hammer 13 provided witha bifuroated head, of which one finger 14 is provided to engage the latch lever 15 pivoted on the weft replenishing actuator 16, and of which-the otherhead 17 is adapted to engage the tail of the weft fork 18. The weft replenishing actuator 16 is pivotally attached at 20 to the 'arm 21 whose hub 22 issecured tothe change shaft' 12. VVhen'the latch lever 15 is turned to the right it is moved in front of the face of ,the finger 14 of the weft hammer, andthe latter Vpushes upon the latch lever to force the weft replenishing actuator v16 forwardly so. as to turn the change shaftV and cause weft .replenishment to be performed.

The filling eeler is mounted on a bracket V23. The eeler has a. frame 24. which is bolted at 25 to the bracket 23. This feeler 'frame carries' the eeler 26,; which has lits forwardly from its normal rearward posi- Veeler, such iilling prevents the turning of Fig. i2, then the feeler turns, and in turncauses the latch 1ever`15 to be turned from filling feeling end offset with respect to its' body 27. lhe body is pivoted at 28 in a slot 30, the pivot pin 28 of the feeler entering the. slot 30 being adapted to slide back and forth therein. A spring 31 in the slot 30 normally presses against the pivot pin 28 of the feel'er and tends to hold it in the rear end of the slot in position to engage the filling 32 on the filling carrier or bobbin 33, carried by the shuttle 11. The front of the shuttlevis slotted at 34 in the usual manner.

The body of the eeler is provided with a little projection 35 on one side, and with a fiat face 36 on the other side. The projection 35 engages the guide wall 37, being held against .that wall by the trip lever 38. The trip lever has a Vdownwardl extended spring `seat carrying boss 40, which extends downwardly from the lever proper into the slot 30, the two ends of the lspring being received the one in the pivot 28, and the other in the spring seat recess 40 of the trip lever 38. the frame 24, and is normally held in the` position shown in Fig. 1 by the spring. The trip lever `is provided with an ear 42 to ,which is attached one end of the link 43, the other end of which is attached to the latch lever at 44.

The left hand side of the trip lever engages the fiat side 36 of the feeler body and normally tends to hold the feeler in the position shown in Fig. 1. When the feeler strikes the filling on the carrier, it is pushed tion to that illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows it in a -forward position. Pressure f of the filling on the opposite end of the filling feeler tends to turn the feeler about the pivot,a1' 1d` so long -as sufiicient lling is engaged by the teeth on the end of the the feeler, but when the lling is exhausted or approximates exhaustion, as shown in ing forces the trip lever into .the osition shown inl Fig. 2, thereby causrngt` e trip/ lever tol push on the link 43 which, 1n turn,

The trip lever is pivoted at 41 -upon the position shown irl-Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby bringing the latch tooth in front of the knife edge 46 of the weft hammer. The movement of the weft hammer then forces the latch lever and with it the weft replenishing actuator forwardly and causes replenishment.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 5, (3 and 7, the feeler 26 is provided with the same pivot pin 28, which instead of being inserted directly in the slot 30, is inserted in the head 47 of the slide 48. This slide is a rod which enters a hole 51 in the filling feeler frame 52. The trip lever 53 of this construction is substantially the same in form as in the first described construction, except that the side toward the body 52 of the feeler is provided with a slight recess to receive an enlargement 54. The enlargement 35 on the other side of the feeler is the same as in the former construction, and engages the face 37 of the wall as in that construction. The trip lever is pivoted at 41, as in the other construction. The provision of the slide for carrying the feeler pivot secures better wearing conditions f or the pivot.

In both -constructions a cover plate 55 is provided which extends along the left hand edge of the wall 37 up over the rear end of the feeler and thence across the rear end of the frame and forwardly and is provided with an ear having a hole which receives the pivot pin 41 in the forward end of the feeler frame.

The feeler is light in weight, and is easily moved by the engagement of the yarn therewith without injury to the yarn. The trip lever and the feeler are both held in normal position by the single spring 31, and when the yarn approaches exhaustion, the tipping of the feeler to the left or toward the butt of the bobbin causes the trip lever to be. turned to move the latch lever into position to cause weft replenishment. The feeler mechanism is simple in construction and certain in operation, and is easily repaired by removing the cover plate 55 and replacing the parts with new parts in case of wear.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. Filling feeele'r mechanism for looms having, in combination, a feeler frame provided With a slot` a feeler having a body and an offset filling feeler end, the body having a pivot pin engaging a slot provided with the feeler frame and being adapted to be moved back and forth in the slot by the engagement of the feeler with the filling on the feeler carrier, and being adapted to turn on the pivot when the yarn is suiciently exhausted to cease to hold the feeler from turning, a trip lever pivoted on the feeler frame with one side normally in engagement with the body of the feeler, slid trip lever being provided with a spring seat projection entering the slot in the feeler lrame, a spring interposed between the pivot of the. feeler and the spring seat projection of the trip lever normally acting to hold the trip lever against the body of the feeler and the feeler in its rearward position, weft replenishing mechanism, and connections between the trip lever and the weft rcplcnishing mechanism.

2. Filling feeler mechanism for looms having, in combination, a i'celer frame provided With a slot, a feeler having a body carrying a pivot pin on its underside adapted to enter the slot in the feeler frame,said t'eclcr having an oli'set, filling feeling end. the oll'set heilig in a direction normally tending to turn the tilling feeler on the pivot by movement toward the butt ot' the filling carrier. a trip lever mounted alongside the celer provided with a spring engaging portion, and ay spring in the slot adapted to engage the fceler pivot at one end and the trip lever at the other, normally tending to hold the trip lever and feeler in normal position.

3. Filling Vl'eeler mechanism for looms having, in combination, wett replenishing mechanism, a weft rcplenishing actuator, a latch lever mounted on the actuator, a. weft hammer adapted to engage the latch lever when in active position, a lilling feelcr comprising a .supporting fraaie, a feeler proper having a body mounted to slide back and forth in the frame and provided with an ott'- set filling feeling end adapted to engage the illing on the tilling carrier and to be held by the latter from turning motion when tilling is present and permitted to turn in the absence of filling on the carrier, a trip lever located alongside the feeler body, a spring interposed between the fceler and trip lever and normally acting directly on each to move the feeler into feeling osition and the trip lever into non-replenishing position, the feeler body and trip lever being so shaped that when the feeler is turned owing to the failure of the feeler to prevent such turning movement, a portion of the feeler body engages the trip lever and moves it, and a con nection between the trip lever and the latch lever acting when the trip lever is turned by the fecler to turn the latch lever to acting position.

4. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a side slipping feeler supported by the stand for movement towards and from the front of the loom and for pivotal movement in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle by the frontward pressure and held from such pivotal movement by engagement with the filling until substantial exhaustion of the filling on a. detecting beat, a trip device pivoted in fixed position and having a rearwardly extending arm with relation to which the feeler has movements towards and from the front of he loom, a lateral projection extending from he trip device, and a spring interposed be- Ween the feeler and the lateral projection of he trip device and acting expansively to iold the rearwardly extending arm of the rip device against the side of the feeler andA normally acting to move the feeler to rearward feeling position relative to the trip device, and means connected to the trip del0 vice to effect replenishmentlof filling.

t In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JONAS NORTHROP. 

